Team-BHP - Home Construction / Makeover / Maintenance Thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by fine69 (Post 4055121)

I'm in the process of buying a 3 BHK apartment and need some suggestions on work that I wish to get done once I finalize the deal.

I'm eyeing bare bone kind of apartment so that I spend a few lakhs and get the basics done to my taste. It also helps in getting a good deal when the owner hasn't spent too much on woodwork etc.

My objective:
- Get the master bedroom bathroom converted to those 5 star kinds, proper space utilization with cabinets etc. A very well done bathroom is very important to me as I spend the first 30-45 mins of each morning here :)
- Aesthetic work done in master bedroom for that exclusivity feel
- Almirah's done in 2 bedrooms atleast
- Get flooring done across the apartment, call would be between vitrified tiles or marble or mix of both
- Durable paint, entire apartment
- Good solid doors with solid frame
- Front metal door but one which looks pleasing aesthetically, video camera in front door with speaker
- Sliding doors/windows with glass (tempered?) wherever balcony is

Questions:
- Would a 4-5 lakhs budget be ok for this work?
- Is there a proper order that I should follow on how the work would be done, like flooring is very first followed by paint. Trying to figure this out so as to not get fooled by any contractor
- Do I give all work to one single guy or is it better to get work done in stages so that I can take a call if something doesn't look right
- Anything else that I should be extremely cautious of

Thanks!

It will easily be above 10 lakhs. If we increase the quality of materials and labour it could be near to 15 lakhs. Your estimate might be enough for Paint :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by fine69 (Post 4055121)

Questions:
- Would a 4-5 lakhs budget be ok for this work?
As other already replied, No way. Bedroom alone will cost you more.

- Is there a proper order that I should follow on how the work would be done, like flooring is very first followed by paint. Trying to figure this out so as to not get fooled by any contractor
Hire a designer or buy a DIY book to get an idea. Sunday Market at Dayra Ganj (if it is still there) is the best and cheapest way to get ideas. Contractor will take you for a ride.

- Do I give all work to one single guy or is it better to get work done in stages so that I can take a call if something doesn't look right.
All options are ok if you have well written agrrement with the contractor and designer. Multiple agencies will save you money but cost you more time and cause some headache due to coordination issues. Actually it depends on how much time you can spend.

- Anything else that I should be extremely cautious of.
You must be absolutely clear on what you want. Changes are more expensive than original work. Show the pictures of what you want to the person doing the job. You must ask for 3D views in case you are hiring a designer.
Also do not over do anything as you will have to live with it for years to come. 5 star hotels can renovate their interiors every 5 years. Also, avoid doing anything that require too much of maintenance.

Thanks!

My answers in bold above.
Thanks,
Sourabh

Quote:

Originally Posted by fine69 (Post 4055121)

Questions:
- Would a 4-5 lakhs budget be ok for this work?
- Is there a proper order that I should follow on how the work would be done, like flooring is very first followed by paint. Trying to figure this out so as to not get fooled by any contractor
- Do I give all work to one single guy or is it better to get work done in stages so that I can take a call if something doesn't look right

1) Give it to separate people
2) Cost-wise - sky is the limit
3) 4-5L : you wont even cross the wood-work part. Forget the 5-star style set up in the MBR, or the other interior work

eg:
Woodwork in 2 BHK apt ( wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, side-unit in kitchen, Book-shelf & TV unit, Pooja area, 1 crockery-unit : 6L (as done recently). This does not include furniture / painting / ceilings - or any other furniture.

Quote:

Originally Posted by girimajiananth (Post 4055219)

How much would a new lift cost? All automatic, abuse friendly since there are a lot of kids in the apartment and something which has good after sales service.

You will need to give details on how many floors, and the capacity of existing lift to get a ballpark estimate

Assuming Stilt + 3 and say a 6-8 passenger lift, brands like Kone, Schindler, Otis will probably be around 12-15L. Johnson will be about 10-12L. Local makes will be a couple of lakhs cheaper.

The branded products have steep AMC's after the first year, about 10% of the cost of the lift.

Quote:

Originally Posted by girimajiananth (Post 4055219)

Apart from the lift we are planning to get some CCTV cameras installed. How much would a basic setup cost ? We are planning to buy around 6-8 cameras around the apartment complex.

Again this depends on the type of camera (wired/wireless), backup/recording, etc. but would say you can get a decent setup for about 25 -50K

First of all, I did not like how easily you guys put down my humble 4-5 lakh budget. :D

Seriously though, I get the point. So next obvious question, how about you help me get a break up of major work (approx. figures would really help me in taking a decision).

While the apartment would be purely for end-use, I'm looking at durable stuff rather than aesthetic (especially after the responses) as the purchase is going to eat up a significant money as such.

1) Flooring - The apartment would have around 1450-1500 sqft carpet area so this becomes one of the costliest item I guess. Should I be looking for vitrified tiles only?
2) Paint - I definitely like those plastic paints from which you can wipe stuff off. What options should I be looking at? If this turns out to be too costly, what are the regular durable paints below this category?
3) Sliding Glass Doors/Windows besides balcony - So one of the flats I saw has huge glass portion near the balcony which kind of runs on one complete side of the flat, most of it is broken. If I was to replace all of it should I at all be looking at the tempered glass stuff or just the regular glass fittings.
4) Front Metal Door & Video Camera - Something that's priority number one. I saw some ads about metal doors which have a wooden outer frame and look very nice, Tata steel ad it was IIRC. Should I consider the typical metal doors or are there better options? Video camera & speaker setup might not cost me too much I'm assuming.
5) Doors within the house - I visited century doors website but wasn't sure where to even begin from. Tips?
6) Modular Kitchen - 1 lakh seems to cover this part, any websites on which I can look stuff up?
7) Bathroom - I just wanted to get 1 bathroom with MBR done really well. Would 1 lakh be enough for it? What all should I be considering here?

I'll also share the dilemma that I'm in right now. Flooring I want to do simply because it'd be very tough to get it done later. If somebody tells me its not that tough then maybe I'll park it. Paint is something that's tough to get done later so these 2 things I wanted to get done before I move in.

Kitchen has to be done before we move in. Lastly glass doors/windows would also need to be done before we move in. I'm not sure of tempered glass cost and what kind of glass is needed for large sections.

So lets say I spend 5 lakhs before I move in and then spend another 5-7 lakhs over the next 3-6 months after moving in. I'm skeptic of the order of work though, I mean I obviously wouldn't want folks to break the tiles or ruin the paint hence the question.

Appreciate all you guys' inputs!

Quote:

Originally Posted by carboy (Post 4055135)

In my opinion, not even close. I think this will easily go double of that or even more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by srishiva (Post 4055151)

It will easily be above 10 lakhs. If we increase the quality of materials and labour it could be near to 15 lakhs. Your estimate might be enough for Paint :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eddy (Post 4055155)

The things that you've mentioned will be 15 lakh (includes a modular kitchen, which I think you forgot mentioning).

Yes I forgot about the kitchen, thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Latheesh (Post 4055156)

@fine69 - As others mentioned, 10L minimum required to do all those job. It may go up further based on the raw materials you select.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourabhzen (Post 4055174)

My answers in bold above.
Thanks,
Sourabh

Quote:

Originally Posted by condor (Post 4055227)

1) Give it to separate people
2) Cost-wise - sky is the limit
3) 4-5L : you wont even cross the wood-work part. Forget the 5-star style set up in the MBR, or the other interior work

I actually just wanted the 5-star bathroom, bedroom might just be an average single star equivalent. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by fine69 (Post 4055296)

For flooring, see if you can consider wooden laminate floors, will be around 150 rupees/sq ft. Can be used for rooms and you can go for vitrified for common areas which start from same price (RAK). Even granite starts from the same price while marble, engineered marble would be around 300 plus
You can use plywood flush doors with veneer over that.
You should use tempered glass and they come with varying thickness which changes the price.
For paint, not sure if you want go for Asian pain Royale. labour costs more than paint if you do the base putty etc

Anything modular with respect to wood can be added later (wardrobe, entertainment etc)

Quote:

Originally Posted by fine69 (Post 4055296)

1) Flooring - The apartment would have around 1450-1500 sqft carpet area so this becomes one of the costliest item I guess. Should I be looking for vitrified tiles only?

Vitrified tiles (supply and installation) should start at 125 PSF.

2) Paint - I definitely like those plastic paints from which you can wipe stuff off. What options should I be looking at? If this turns out to be too costly, what are the regular durable paints below this category?

Plastic emulsion starts at 18-20 PSF

3) Sliding Glass Doors/Windows besides balcony - So one of the flats I saw has huge glass portion near the balcony which kind of runs on one complete side of the flat, most of it is broken. If I was to replace all of it should I at all be looking at the tempered glass stuff or just the regular glass fittings.

Regular glass is good enough for higher floors. Tempered will not guarantee safety. Safety glass are expensive

4) Front Metal Door & Video Camera - Something that's priority number one. I saw some ads about metal doors which have a wooden outer frame and look very nice, Tata steel ad it was IIRC. Should I consider the typical metal doors or are there better options? Video camera & speaker setup might not cost me too much I'm assuming.

I guess there are few good looking branded options. Go for them only as it gives the first impression of your house. Video camera is negligible cost.

5) Doors within the house - I visited century doors website but wasn't sure where to even begin from. Tips?

Visit DS Doors at Badarpur Border. You will have enough ideas there.

6) Modular Kitchen - 1 lakh seems to cover this part, any websites on which I can look stuff up?

Again Sky is the limit, but take 1.5 lac for decent kitchen. (Depends a lot on size and fixtures though)

7) Bathroom - I just wanted to get 1 bathroom with MBR done really well. Would 1 lakh be enough for it? What all should I be considering here?

Bathrooms and kitchen are blackholes when you start putting your money there. 1 lac is doable.

I'll also share the dilemma that I'm in right now. Flooring I want to do simply because it'd be very tough to get it done later. If somebody tells me its not that tough then maybe I'll park it. Paint is something that's tough to get done later so these 2 things I wanted to get done before I move in.

Agree

Kitchen has to be done before we move in. Lastly glass doors/windows would also need to be done before we move in. I'm not sure of tempered glass cost and what kind of glass is needed for large sections.

Will try and get some information by tomorrow.

My response in bold again.
Sourabh

Quote:

Originally Posted by fine69 (Post 4055296)

First of all, I did not like how easily you guys put down my humble 4-5 lakh budget. :D

lol:

Like you said - prioritize.

1) Front door & Sliding doors for balcony
2) Flooring. Lot of good itialian tiles available. I suggest use thse. Wooden floor is nice, but delicate in terms of water resistance. Veneer will not be able to handle it
3) Kitchen. Only one kitchen, hence needed immed.

This should take up your initial budget.

4) Any work on ceiling (except or including painting)
5) Wood work. Must be done after flooring, and before painting
6) painting. Can do it room by room when you are ready.
7) Master bath - last. Take your time to do this & design it. When doing this up, you can use the other bathrooms
8) everything else in MBR.

When doing bath of MBR & MBR, you can use the other rooms.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fine69 (Post 4055296)

6) Modular Kitchen - 1 lakh seems to cover this part, any websites on which I can look stuff up?

So lets say I spend 5 lakhs before I move in and then spend another 5-7 lakhs over the next 3-6 months after moving in. I'm skeptic of the order of work though, I mean I obviously wouldn't want folks to break the tiles or ruin the paint hence the question.

Yes I forgot about the kitchen, thanks.

1 lakh seems to be low for Modular kitchen. I paid that amount 5 years back for an Indian brand. The quote for imported (Italian) kitchen was 3 lakh plus back then. And this doesn't include a Chimney and Hob.

And you missed electrical work as well. Fans, Lights, Geysers etc add up. You need to also do re-wiring and re-positioning of switch boards etc based on your liking. Better to install ethernet, telephone and TV cables to all rooms so that you don't have to break walls after painting.